The Flame In The Flood

In an over saturated genre of survival games, how does The Flame in the Flood stack up? Is it just another generic, eat, sleep, and drink survival game or is there something extra that will keep you entertained? Let's find out.

The outline of The Flame in the Flood is that you are Scout, a female that is wandering around in a post-apocalyptic America and you run into your trusty companion Aesop. Once the introductions have finished you are on your way, and with a few basic tips and a few simple supplies, it is time to set off down the river. Essentially your aim in the game is to find out where the radio signal is coming from that Aesop brought to you and make your way down the river on your raft, gathering supplies to stay alive on your journey. As your journey continues you will slowly begin to understand that civilisation seems long gone, and the people you meet along the way makes you think that Scout is about the only one who is still somewhat normal.

First up is presentation, and the game genuinely looks gorgeous. The cartoonish like features really work well, and makes the game feel unique. There were a few hiccups along the way playing on PS4 including an animation where Scout and Aesop are trying to get off the raft and they become stuck and then suddenly morph onto the dock. While these are very minor issues and didn't really concern me at all, it would certainly tend to annoy those perfectionists out there. Other than that, the presentation was brilliant and was a style that might not appeal to everyone but certainly did to me.

Next is sound, and while The Flame in the Flood has a great soundtrack, it just does not show it off enough. Apart from the occasional song starting up when you jump on your raft to head down river, there really is no ambient music in the background. Which makes the predators such as Snakes, wolves and boars a lot easier to detect, which is good because your defence is minimal and takes quite some time to set up. However, the sound of the trap snapping up the rabbit or the spear trap cannoning into the boar you just pissed off so he would chase you is strangely satisfying. All in all the sound works well, and I do wish that maybe the soundtrack itself would make a more regular appearance, especially when you can be spending minutes at a time floating down river.

Now for the most important part, the gameplay. Simply put, I loved it. From the moment I first started to the moment that I died from Starvation or because I was trampled by the Boar King or mauled by a wolf. However deaths can become extremely frustrating especially when there is a lack of a save button and the checkpoints being so few and far between, a death can set you back anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour of gameplay.

Overall the gameplay is simple; you are to scavenge your way down river in a bid to stay alive. You will need to gather water, food, animal hides and resources if you are to survive everything that the game will throw at you. You will need to craft new clothing items to help combat the dropping temperature the further you get down river. You will need saplings and braided cord to make traps so that you can take out boars, wolves, and rabbits for their hides and meat. While it is best to avoid a fight with a pack of wolves, crafting some tainted bait or meat from a poisonous plant and raw/cooked meat can be an effective way of getting rid of them and scoring yourself some easy hides and meat.

The crafting system is basic but works very effectively. The amount of actual crafting materials in the game is very small and for the reason it is generally easy to remember what you need for what particular item you are trying to create. Unlike some big games, that try to over complicate the crafting system, The Flame in the Flood simplifies this and I believe that it works very well. All crafting items and status effects are easily kept track of in Scout's handy journal which is easy to navigate and is very informative.

Oh and before closing, just a tip to you trophy hunters out there, if you want the platinum trophy, you are most definitely going to have to work for it. No I am not scared; it is just a long haul that I probably do not have time for. Currently as of 21/01/17 when I checked last no one had yet achieved the platinum trophy, four days after release. I know right unheard of.

Overall if you enjoy adventure survival games, then for a price of $22 AUD on the PS4, or $14.99USD on Steam, you are going to have a lot fun. Add in the fact that it comes with an endless mode and you are sure to get hours of entertainment out of such a small price. It is a great escape from that AAA title that has left you frustrated because you have been banging your head up against a brick wall for the last hour and not getting anywhere **cough DARK SOULS ANYONE? cough** or just for a rainy day when you don't really feel like booting up your current AAA title.

In the words of Red, it is bloody brilliant and I suggest that everyone puts it on their list to check out at some stage and I give it wait for it...

8 OUT OF 10 RED BEARDS!

Cheers for reading guys and girls, hope I have helped in your decision to buy/not to buy The Flame in the Flood!